Cleaning apparatus

ABSTRACT

A cleaning apparatus includes an elongate handle and a hollow cleaning head connected to the handle. The cleaning head has a slotted opening on the periphery thereof. A blade is securable to the handle in the interior of the cleaning head and the blade is movable under axial rotation of the handle relative to the cleaning head, between an extended position in which the blade projects outwardly from the cleaning head, and a retracted position in which the blade is contained within the cleaning head.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a cleaning apparatus and, more particularly, to a cleaning apparatus such as a mop which can be employed to clean surfaces such as sanitaryware, floors and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Many cleaning apparata such as brooms, mops, duster and the like are known for cleaning surfaces in domestic and industrial applications.

[0003] In general, such a cleaning apparatus comprises a cleaning head attached to an elongate handle. The head can be made from a variety of different materials, such as foam rubber, sponge rubber, chamois and flax, whilst the elongate handle is usually made of wood or of a plastics material.

[0004] It is common for the cleaning head to be fixed relative to the elongate handle and this makes the cleaning of contoured sanitaryware surfaces difficult, particularly when a user of the cleaning apparatus has limited mobility, such as may be the case with elderly persons.

[0005] In order to overcome this disadvantage, it is known to provide the cleaning head with limited movement relative to the elongate handle. Cleaning apparata of this type are still unsatisfactory for cleaning angled, hard to reach or uneven surfaces, as the position of the elongate handle of cleaning apparatus must be positioned to ensure a satisfactory contact between the cleaning head and a surface to be cleaned. This is tedious when the surface to be cleaned is contoured such as the bottom and sides of a bath tub.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0006] It is an object of this invention to provide a cleaning apparatus which will, at least partially, alleviate the abovementioned difficulties and disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In accordance with this invention there is provided a cleaning apparatus, comprising;

[0008] a handle;

[0009] a hollow cleaning head connectable to the handle, the cleaning head having a slotted opening on the periphery thereof; and

[0010] a blade securable to the handle, the blade being movable between an extended position in which the blade projects outwardly from the cleaning head through the slotted opening, and a retracted position in which the blade is contained within the cleaning head.

[0011] Further features of the invention provide for the blade to be elongate, for the elongate blade to be rubber, for the handle to be elongate, for the elongate handle to be extendible, and for the blade to be movable between the extended and retracted positions by means of axial rotation of the handle relative to the cleaning head.

[0012] Still further features of the invention provide for the hollow cleaning head to be made out of a plastics material, for a first portion of the external surface of the cleaning head to have a layer of absorbent cleaning material secured thereto, for the absorbent cleaning material to be any one of foam, chamois or a fibrous material, for a second portion of the external surface of the cleaning head to be covered with a layer of scouring material and for the scouring material to be woven plastics filaments.

[0013] Preferably, the cleaning head is substantially oblate-shaped having a large and a small end, the handle to be securable to the oblate-shaped head at the small end thereof, and the slotted opening to be located at the large end of the cleaning head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning apparatus according to the invention.

[0016]FIG. 2 is an end view of a cleaning head of the cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1; and

[0017]FIG. 3 is a side view of the cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1, shown with a blade in an extended position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, a cleaning apparatus is indicated generally by reference numeral (1).

[0019] The cleaning apparatus (1) includes an elongate, handle (2) and a substantially oblate-shaped plastics cleaning head indicated generally by reference numeral (3). The oblate-shaped cleaning head has small and large ends (10 and 11), respectively. The elongate handle (2) Is tubular and is made of plastics material such as polyvinyl chloride. A first end (4) of the elongate handle (2) is received in a complementary socket (not shown) on the cleaning head (3) located at the small end (10) thereof.

[0020] The oblate-shaped head (3) has an elongate slotted opening (12) at the large end (11) thereof. A rubber blade (13) of suitable dimension to fit through the slotted opening (12) is connected to the handle (2) in the interior of the cleaning head (3). The blade (13) Is movable under axial rotation of the handle (2) relative to the cleaning head (3), between an extended position in which the blade projects outwardly from the cleaning head (3) through the slotted opening (12), and a retracted position in which the blade is contained within the interior of the cleaning head. The arrangement for providing axial movement of the blade (13) relative to the handle (2) under axial rotation thereof is well known in the art and will not be described here In detail,

[0021] The elongate handle comprises two elongate telescoping sections (14 a and 14 b) which may be locked in position by means of a twist lock arrangement (15) which is well known in the art

[0022] A first portion (16) of the cleaning head (3) has a layer of absorbent cleaning material in the form of foam secured thereto. A second portion (17) of the cleaning head (3) is covered with a layer of scouring material in the form of woven plastic filaments, which is well known and commonly used in pot scourers and the like.

[0023] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the cleaning apparatus (1) is advantageous in instances where it Is desired to clean an angled, uneven or hard-to-reach surface, such as sanitaryware and the like. In such applications the oblate-shape of the cleaning head (3) will provide an optimum contact between the cleaning head and the surface to be cleaned, without requiring a user of the cleaning apparatus to continuously adjust the orientation of the elongate handle (2). This will render the cleaning apparatus (1) easier and more convenient to use than prior art equivalents. Further, the user may utilize the absorbent cleaning material or the scouring material to clean surfaces as is necessitated by the needs of a particular application. Still further, the user may extend the rubber blade as required which enables the cleaning apparatus to be employed to displace liquid from a flat surface such as a floor, a window or the like.

[0024] Numerous modifications are possible to this embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular the elongate handle (2) can include a universal joint along its length to enable the cleaning apparatus (1) to be used to reach otherwise inaccessible locations. Further, differently shaped cleaning heads (3) may be used to suit the needs of particular applications, while different types of absorbent cleaning material, such as other fibrous materials or chamois, may be utilised on the cleaning head (3), as alternatives to the sponge (16).

[0025] It is envisaged that the cleaning head (3) is Interchangeable with different types of cleaning heads. 

1. A cleaning apparatus, comprising; a handle; a hollow cleaning head connectable to the handle, the cleaning head having a slotted opening on the periphery thereof; and a blade securable to the handle, the blade being movable between an extended position in which the blade projects outwardly from the cleaning head through the slotted opening, and a retracted position in which the blade is contained within the cleaning head.
 2. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the blade is elongate.
 3. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the elongate blade is rubber.
 4. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the handle is elongate.
 5. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the elongate handle is extendible.
 6. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the blade is movable between the extended and retracted positions by means of axial rotation of the handle relative to the cleaning head
 7. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the hollow cleaning head is made out of a plastics material.
 8. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which a first portion of the external surface of the cleaning head has a layer of absorbent cleaning material secured thereto.
 9. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which the absorbent cleaning material is any one of foam, chamois or a fibrous material.
 10. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which a second portion of the external surface of the cleaning head is covered with a layer of scouring material.
 11. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 10 in which the scouring material is woven plastics filaments.
 12. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the cleaning head is substantially oblate-shaped having a large and a small end.
 13. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which the handle is securable to the oblate-shaped head at the small end thereof.
 14. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which the slotted opening is located at the large end of the cleaning head 